Table leaf hinge



T. E. M F'ALL TABLE LEAF HINGE Filed Oct. 19, 1942 SeptQ 12, 1-944.

AWorne Patented Sept. 12, 1944 TABLE LEAF HINGE 'Thurlow E. McFall, Sparta, Mich; assignor to Michigan 'Artcraft Company, Sparta, Mich, a

corporation of Michigan Application October 19, 1942,;Scrial No. :462,583

1 Claim.

This invention relates to drop leaf tables and ismore concerned with a novel hinge construction used in connection with drop leaves and tables whereby the leaf may hang downwardly at an edge of the'table top, be turned to and supported in horizontalposition with its upper surface in the same plane with the upper surface of the top of the table, and be moved to'a third position in which it is positioned vertically at the edge of the table top and extends above it. The invention further contemplates a simple and novel means for releasably retaining the leaf in the last n entioned position.

It is a primary object and purpose of the present invention to provide a practical, simple and very effective construction including a novel hinge and mounting therefor, whereby the drop leaf may be selectively located in any of the three positions mentioned. An understanding of the invention and of a structural embodiment thereof which I haveproduced may be had from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical section at one end of the top of the table with a drop leaf mounted in association therewith at an edge of the top, the drop leaf being shown in depending position.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the leaf in its vertical position extending above the table top and releasably retained in such position.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the drop leaf in horizontal position.

Fig. 4 is a somewhat enlarged fragmentary under plan view illustrating the novel hinge construction used, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section on the plane of line 55 of Fig. 4 looking in the direction indicated.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawing.

The top and. drop leaf associated therewith may be of the general type of drop leaf table shown in my pending application, Serial No. 441,636, filed May 4, 1942. The top which lies in a horizontal position at one or both opposite edges is provided with a continuous groove of arcuate form at the lower outer corner thereof as indicated at 2, above which the adjacent edge of the table is narrowed as at 3. As shown the top adjacent such edge is located over a vertical end cross rail 4 of the table under structure, the edge of the top extending a short distance beyond the outer side of said rail.

The drop leaf 5 at its upper edge when it is in dependingrposition (Fig. 1) is formed with a rib 6 shapedv to be receivedwithin the groove 2 and with a shoulder l to come. against the narrowed edge portion 3. of the top..l when .the leaf .is turned. to horizontal position, asin Fig. 3.

The hinges used to .hingedlyconnect the:drop leaf 5 are made .ofptwo parts of flat metal. One

of said hinge parts comprises arelatively long body 9 in whichaulongitudinal vslot I0 is cut to one side of the center line-thereof, from. which a, plurality of branch slots ll extend spaced equal distances apart from each other. ;Three of the branch slo-tsare. shown (Fig. 4) but the number maybevariedif desirable. ,Two screws I2 used when there arejthree branch slots l l spaced adistance from each other equal tojthe distance between the slots l l are passed through the slot- IO and driven into the under. side of the top I. The screws are not driven so as to tightly engage against the part 930 f thehinge'but the hinge has a freedom of movement permittingit to bejmoved laterallygso as, to locate thej'shanks of thescrews in twogf the branch slots H, as in Fig. 4, or by moving in the opposite direction the shanksof the screws: l2 willbe located in the longitudinal slot l0 whereby the hinge may be then moved outwardly in the direction of its length to bring the screws 12 in position to enter other of the branch slots. For example, referring to Fig. 4, moving the hinge in a downward direction and then outwardly'and thence back, the shanks of the screws l2 will be changed in position and received in the middle branch slot H and the one at the left instead of the middle branch slot and the one at the right. In the position shown in Fig. 4 the drop leaf is located with reference to the table top so thatit may be turned to horizontal to lie in the same plane with the top as in Fig. 3, and abut against it.

The body 9 of this hinge part at its outer end is curved downwardly and outwardly in the arc of a circle as at [3 and then turned vertically at [4 terminating in a curled hinging knuckle portion l5. flat leaf located in a recess I! in the under side of and adjacent the upper edge of the drop leaf, screws or other suitable fastenings being used to permanently secure the hinge IE to the leaf. It

the hinge pintle I8 is in the same horizontal plane with the under side of the top l' and with The other part of the hinge l6'is a the under side of the drop leaf when it is in horizontal position as in Fig. 3. V

' With the parts in position as in Fig. 1 the drop leaf may be turned upwardly to horizontal position, Fig. 3, and held in such position the same as is ordinary practice. When the leaf is to be turned to vertical position, as in Fig. 2, the drop leaf and the hinges connected therewith, a plurality of such hinges being used, are moved laterally to disassociate the shanks of screws I2 from the branch slots II in which they are located, the drop leaf and hinges pulled outwardly and then moved laterally in the opposite direction seat the screw shanks in the middle and left hand branch slots I I (Fig. 4). This moves the drop leaf far nough that it may be turned to vertical position as in Fig. 2, coming against the edge 3 of the top I while the rib 6 at its lower end comes against the vertical portions M of the hinges.

If the table with the leaf in vertical position is placed against a wall said leaf 5 will be retained in vertical position without anything further. For holding the-leaf 5 releasably in such vertical position a retaining device is provided made from a rod' of metal having a horizontal *bring' the handle section against the outer side When the of the cross rail 4 (Figs. 1 and 3). leaf has been turned to the vertical position shown in Fig. 2' the handle section 20 may be grasped, pulled outwardly, with a'compression of the spring 21, and then turned through 180 to position the handle portion vertically against the drop leaf, which may be suitably recessed to receive the upper end of the handle portion, as shown in Fig. 2, thereby insuring against the retaining member being accidentally moved. On returning the drop leaf to either horizontal position or to its depending position this releasable retaining member is turned back to original position thereupon freeing the drop leaf for pivotal movement; and of course the return of hinges to their original inner positions is accomplished by a reversal of the steps which carried them from such inner position to the outer position.

This invention while of a simple character is very useful and desirable in drop leaf tables.

The invention is defined in the appended claim and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within its scope.

Iclaim:

In a table, a top and a drop leaf, two part -hinges,'each having one of the parts thereof movably 'mountedwith respect to the top, and the other part thereof connected to the drop lea'f whereby said leaf and'hinges may be moved outwardly from normal position, in which normal position the leaf may be turned to lie in the same plane with the top or depend at the edge of the top, said leaf when moved outwardly being turnable to a vertical position to extend above the top, and a cross-rail located underneath the top and paralleling the edge thereof at which the drap leaf is mounted, a releasable retaining member mounted on said cross rail including a horizontal rod passing through the cross rail, said rod atits outer end having a handle portion turnedtherefrom, spring means normally holding the rod at inner position and yieldable to permit THURLOW 'E; 'McFALL. 

